The Cincinnati Bengals are in the market for some defensive upgrades this offseason. They're reportedly willing to spend more than they have to help Joe Burrow in that regard, too.
Who knows what that means in the context of Cincinnati's typical M.O. This is a notoriously cheap franchise. Parting with beloved draft assets, never mind money, feels like a Herculean task. Duke Tobin and the powers that be must've agonized over that pick swap trade for Joe Flacco.
Enough shade-throwing. A respected ESPN analyst just predicted the Bengals as the suitor for a potential trade target. He's a vet who could be traded for the second offseason in a row.
Could Kenny Clark really be on the move again after Micah Parsons trade?
Former Green Bay Packers defensive tackle Kenny Clark is one of three Dallas Cowboys players at his position who's due north of $20 million in 2026, per OverTheCap.com. Hence the trade speculation.
Clark was the key player that pushed the Packers' trade for Micah Parsons over the line. However, in light of the salary cap-strapped Cowboys' current in-the-red situation, and the surplus of spending at Clark's position, ESPN's Bill Barnwell believes the Bengals could get him in a trade:
"This deal would be an opportunity for [Clark] to reunite with former Packers defensive line coach Jerry Montgomery, who oversaw Clark's work during his best seasons in Green Bay. Montgomery needs all the help he can get in Cincinnati, where the Bengals ranked 29th in EPA per play against designed rushes last season. [...] Slotting Clark in on the interior would give the Bengals a valuable tackle to rotate alongside B.J. Hill and T.J. Slaton Jr. They don't trade picks very often, but the Bengals have to approach this offseason with a stronger sense of urgency than they have in years past."
Not bad, Billy Boy. Especially when you consider that, in this trade, Cincinnati would just be swapping a sixth-round pick for a seventh-round pick.
This compensation falls in line with the Bengals' history of doing business. The aforementioned Flacco trade was a case in point, I really don't see Cincinnati forking over multiple first-rounders for, say, Maxx Crosby, or being that aggressive in pursuit of other potential trades.
Where the Bengals can really help themselves is on the free agent market. They have plenty of cash to spend. They have needs at safety and defensive tackle, where the depth is quite excellent. Even the draft has safeties galore Cincinnati could spring for.
Yes, Clark is a strong veteran who raises the floor of the Bengals' d-line, whether they hang onto Slaton and/or Hill or not. I just feel like taking on a $21.5 million cap hit for one player, when you could feasibly make upgrades to at least two of the defense's three levels at that price on the open market, doesn't make a Clark trade worth it.
Maybe we can talk, Jerry Jones, if you agree to pay a portion of Clark's salary! Anything other than that, and the Bengals shouldn't entertain it.